Please help.. Correcting headspace and Neck Tension with FL bushing die

[chasingbulls]

Question for all you guys smarter than me --

Im wanting to bump my shoulder back .002" (headspace) and size the neck .003" in one pass using my Whidden FL bushing sizer. My question is do I first remove the bushing ( so I now basically have a body sizer) and bump the shoulder using the method of removing the firing pin assembly and micro adjusting (by screwing the die further down) until I can chamber and bolt closes without resistance and lock the ring in place. And then add the correct bushing for my neck sizing. After this process my die should be set up to accommodate both correct headspace and neck size/tension. Is my thinking correct???

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[Hondo64d]

The method you describe will work, but I see no need to remove the neck bushing to set shoulder bump. You could do it with the neck bushing installed. You can do it by feel as you describe, but one of the shoulder bump gauges will show you a quantifiable amount you are bumping. I have run across die/brass combinations where I was still getting chambering resistance after several adjustments only to discover it wasn’t headspace causing the resistance, but rather the die not sizing the base of the case down far enough. Better to be able to measure a fired case and compare it to how much you are actually moving the shoulder.

John

 

[Harvey_NW]

I agree with the comment above. I'll add that those tools to measure headspace are pretty critical (and cheap, Hornady headspace gauge), and sometimes the die starts to size the body portion first and actually makes the case grow before contacting the shoulders and bumping them back. So without measurements to reference, it can get confusing. I would also base my measurement off where I get resistance with the bolt assembled, since that's the state of the rifle while functioning. .002-3" bump back from where you get resistance on close.

 

[SloppyJ]

Get the gauges and do it all in one go. If your brass grows at first, keep screwing the die down. I got the headspace and the bullet comparator gauges and recommend you get both. They're one of the most important tools I have to make consistent ammo.

 

[fshaw]

You’ll probably buy a dial caliper as part of your measuring set up. Do yourself a favor and buy a good one. You’ll find many uses for in reloading precision cartridges. I prefer the non- digital dial indicator. The batteries are never dead when I want to use it. Mitutoyo makes a good caliper both digital and dial.